Both, cotton production and farmer's earnings have witnessed a surge in the current cotton season in Kenya.
Stakeholders have called the season the best till date, since the collapse of Cotton Board of Kenya, as far as earnings are concerned.
Farmers had abandoned cotton cultivation in recent years as prices of cotton lint went down. But high prices prevailing in the last and first quarter of 2010 and 2011 respectively brought them back in droves.
Cotton prices rose from Sh48 in 2009 to Sh65 / kg in the last quarter of 2010.
It was for the first time in many years that, cotton ginneries operated throughout the year, instead of just 2-3 months in the last many years.
Introducing Bt cotton seeds, which deliver higher yields and are also immune to certain diseases and a few old ginning plants too were replaced with modern technology, helped in increasing cotton output.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India